Posted by Lieutenant Dr. Solomon Kane (Medical Research & Development) in Myqian’s Quarters- Harsh Realities

Posted by Commander Dira Myqian (Executive Officer) in Myqian’s Quarters- Harsh Realities

Posted by Lieutenant Dr. Solomon Kane (Medical Research & Development) in Myqian’s Quarters- Harsh Realities
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Her gaze swept away, glancing off objects, anywhere but looking at this man imposing himself upon her space at this particular time. She was a woman who liked comfort, who revelled in the simple luxuries she could grant herself in her life. Soft blankets, beautiful scents, warm candlelight, calming music, delicious but simple foods. Evidence of it permeated her quarters and it was clear that even though she had come aboard that first day like most of the crew, she’d made the effort to make her quarters a place of refuge.

A large soft rug spread out under the sitting area and she’d managed to affix sheer cotton drapes around her windows, despite not needing to block the light (or the view). There was shelves of books, unlit candles, and trinkets from her travels. And beside the standard desk setup offered her was an old wooden trunk, closed and possibly locked. A fake potted shrub sat in another corner and she had a large crystal vase filled with flowers and greenery in a riot of colours. But the simple beauty of the place was marred (perhaps) but reality.

She was messy. Boots had been kicked off randomly in the middle of her floor. A robe was draped over a dining chair. Random socks were bunched, just visible from his view under the sofa he wanted her to occupy. Empty coffee cups sat on side tables and the coffee table. An empty plate, but not something that would spoil if left out for anytime. Just dry left crumbs from something earlier.

Folding her arms across her chest, Dira’s eyes darted between him and the couch and settled back on him again. She watched as the uniform jacket that was carelessly tossed over the back of the overstuffed chair he’d just taken possession over was pulled down with him as he sat, likely on top of the t-shirt she’d been wearing the other day. “I know it’s a hilarious concept to people, but just because that was my career, doesn’t mean I want to talk to every person I come across about every deep and personal thing.”

Commander Myqian, XO

Kane shrugged and said without looking at her “Probably not. But want to and need to are two different things, now aren’t they? So… sit your butt on that couch and spill it. Or, sit your butt on that couch and sit in miserable silence. But step one in either direction is sitting your butt down. You do that, I won’t clean your place up.” and he pulled the uniform jacket out from where it had wadded up in the small of his back and he (quite literally) threw it across the room so it landed on the floor in front of the door to her bedroom.

Kane, R&D

Though her eyes traced the movement of her jacket, her attention was still fixed on Kane. “You’re going to clean?” she asked incredulously. There was a part of her that rebelled at the idea of hm touching her mess, and while Zoi had teased her about her admitted flaw, she hadn’t brought Zoi to her quarters yet. So to have Kane here volunteering to clean up felt like a judgement, even if it was entirely in her head. Then again her whole state of mind wasn’t exactly clear right now.

It was obvious grudging steps and almost a glare in his direction that Dira sat back down on the couch and pulled the blanket over the back on top of her. “I don’t know what it is you expect to hear.”

Commander Myqian, XO

“Me either, so you don’t have to worry about telling me what I want to hear.” and he leaned back and looked at her. “But you can start with what’s on your mind… ‘cause something is. And I don’t know a whole lot about you, but you seem smart enough to know at least that much. Or… I could be wrong and you’re an idiot. But I’m gonna err on the side that still thinks Fleet… for the most part, anyways… doesn’t put idiots in the second chair. So? What are you thinking about that has you looking like a spice addict on three day bender, huh?”

Kane

She could feel the involuntary tensing of her muscles as Kane spoke, and she knew the cause. He was wrong- but not quite so directly. Command didn’t intentionally put idiots in the XO role. But it still happened, and when it did…

Closing her eyes, Dira brought a bare arm up from under the blanket and braced it above her head on one of the pillows. If their roles were reversed she would know what to do, how to untangled the web of things that all seemed to have conspired at once and utterly knocked her on her ass. But they weren’t and she didn’t. Silence permeated the room for several long moments as she breathed in and out, pushing so many thing away that threatened to overwhelm her for the tenth time today. His words still rolled around in her head and under different circumstances she might have just broken down into sobs. Again.

But she didn’t.

Instead, she swallowed down those feelings and tried to formulate a response that would satisfy him. She had nothing. “I took myself off duty because recent events have compromised me emotionally. It’s as simple as that. And until I can walk out of here clear headed, I’m not fit for duty. And any mental health specialist would say the exact same thing.”

Commander Myqian, XO

Kane looked at her for a long moment in silence, and then said “Uh-huh. Right. So cleaning it is.” and he stood up and started gathering laundry up without another word. He moved methodically picking up pants, shirts, socks, and the occasional undergarment and tossing them on top of the uniform jacket from earlier. He didn’t look at her, didn’t talk… just cleaned. Every now and then he’d just shake his head as he found a deposit of dirty clothes wadded in a crevice in the chair or something. As he moved, he got closer and closer to Dira until he finally said “You either move outta my way, I move you for me, or you talk. Pick now or you’re going on the floor.” and he tossed a tshirt and single sock onto the pile.

Kane, R&D

“It’s a good thing I’m not in uniform,” she said with a snort as she hauled herself upwards to sitting position and then onto her feet. Dira didn’t go far and just plopped herself down the chair he’d vacated and brought her feet up to the edge, wrapping her arms around her knees. Resting her chin on those knees and huddled under the blanket, she felt so incredibly small. It was one thing to have been feeling everything on her own. It was quite another for a person to see her this way.

She didn’t like it.

Dira’s basic problem in this moment was didn’t know how to begin. It was such a tangle that if you pulled at one thread it became more hopelessly knotted up the rest. So she fell into silence again.

“I’m not like other telepaths, you know. I have the same abilities but the mix of my DNA created this particular set of skills that seems to lack the ability to shield exceptionally well. And most strong telepaths like myself shield their minds heavily. If you don’t, you lose yourself. You go crazy. I can shield, but it’s not always as strong as it needs to be or as I would like. So I have a lot of extra noise in my head I have to filter a lot of the time, and now in my forties, I’m pretty adept at it. But the reality is that more often than I would like, when I am extremely emotional myself, other people’s emotions can impact me. Alexis accused me of reading her mind and drawing my own false conclusions. That’s not what happened at all. Her emotions got mixed with my own that this mess have triggered and… I got momentarily lost. I do that sometimes and it sometimes means I get too involved in a situation with a person that I shouldn’t. And I have to pull back. Which is what I’ve done now, but… it’s too late. It’s triggered too much stuff and I can’t separate myself out of it all. It’s a bit like drowning in the dark. You could breathe again if you could just find the surface but you don’t know which way is up,” she said in a voice that was distant and almost monotone. It was weary and almost so emotional it seemed devoid of them entirely. Her dark eyes were loosely cast towards her soft rug and it’s muted tones and wavy lines of different weaving patterns.

Commander Myqian, XO